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Orange Insider - Connecticut at Syracuse: Turnovers plague both teams

Syracuse head football coach Doug Marrone stands next to the offensive unit with SU trailing Rutgers late in the fourth quarter on Saturday.
Photo by Frank OrdoÅez / The Post-Standard
(Photo by Frank Ordoñez / The Post-Standard)

The Syracuse University football team will enter the second half of the season with a defense that is ranked among the top 30 in the nation and an offense that is ranked among the top 40.

It is also 2-4 and in jeopardy of being knocked out of the Big East Conference race and postseason bowl picture for the second consecutive year and third time in four during Doug Marrone’s tenure. It faces a must-win situation at 8 p.m. today against Connecticut (2-4, 0-2) and former SU head coach Paul Pasqualoni in the Carrier Dome.

The defensive and offensive rankings noted above provide evidence that this team is deeper and more talented all around than any of Marrone’s three predecessors.

The glaring deficiencies that have prevented the translation of those rankings into victories — a dreadful minus-10 turnover ratio, a 6-for-13 success rate in the red zone over the last four games, game-changing special-teams breakdowns and vexing penalties — state otherwise. Until the Orange can fix them it will continue to be what its record indicates — a losing football team.

“You address it, you go after it, you just keep fighting and you don’t quit,” Marrone said, summing up the team’s approach to its short week of practice.

Download the printer-friendly version of the Orange Insider for more pregame analysis, including team depth charts, rosters, stats, and position-by-position breakdown.

Connecticut has had its own share of turnover problems and will enter the game minus-7 in turnover ratio. At least it has an excuse. Sophomore quarterback Chandler Whitmer is a first-year starter and has played like one, throwing 10 interceptions and only six touchdown passes. SU has a three-year starter in senior Ryan Nassib, who has thrown eight picks and lost a couple fumbles.

UConn’s offense may be shaky, but its defense is a lot like the one the Orange faced last week at Rutgers, a veteran unit that shuts down the run (99.4 yards per game allowed), contains the pass (161.6 yards per game and only 6 TD passes in seven games) and gets after the quarterback (21 sacks).

What separates the Huskies from the Knights is the offense’s inability to get out of its own way and let the defense win games. And what separates each team from a winning record is this one statistic: 31 turnovers combined.

“We put a lot of time and effort into it,” Marrone said. “When we starting playing this game from when we are in kindergarten we talk about ball security. It’s something that’s coached on an everyday, every play basis.”

Yet, here are two FBS offenses that have not learned the lesson. Each faces another exam tonight. Failure will likely mean defeat and a long, long road back.

Take the turnover factor out of the equation and the Orange has a significant edge on offense, the Huskies a slight edge on defense. Turnovers will be the wild card, though, one that will likely determine the outcome.

The Orange run defense, suspect in the first two weeks of the season, has been fabulous since the bye week, smothering two fine backs in Pittsburgh’s Ray Graham and Rutgers’ Jawan Jamison in consecutive games. It faces another good one tonight in UConn’s Lyle McCombs, who has been bothered by off-field problems and a wrist injury but is dangerous nonetheless. SU’s front seven must take McCombs out of the equation early so it can unleash the hounds on Whitmer.

Stop the run II

When the Huskies had trouble moving the ball on the ground as last season’s game vs. SU progressed they turned to reserve quarterback Scott McCummings and the Wildcat, with great success. McCummings rushed for 59 yards and two touchdowns in the second half and the Huskies won 28-21. SU’s defense must be prepared for a repeat scenario even though UConn has not used the Wildcat that much so far. The feeling here is that will change tonight, and the Orange defense must stop it and force the visitors to the air.

Fix this now

Special-teams breakdowns have cost the Orange two victories this season, one of them when Northwestern returned two punts for 134 yards and a touchdown in the opener. UConn’s Nick Williams, who set up the Huskies’ first touchdown last season by returning the opening kickoff to the SU 33-yard line, has already returned a punt 58 yards for a TD this season. SU is simply not good enough to yield points on special teams via long returns or blocked kicks and still prevail. It must contain Williams and play flawless in all phases of specials. One breakdown will be one too many.

Balance please

The Huskies’ offense may be suspect, but their defense is not. The linebackers are big and mobile, and defensive end Trevardo Williams is a smaller version of former SU superstar Dwight Freeney. The SU offense must keep the Huskies’ front seven on its heels with a balance of running and passing. If it becomes too one-dimensional Nassib, who has played poorly when pressured recently, will be a target for Williams and the pass rush.

No more gifts

The Orange’s minus-10 turnover margin is an embarrassment. UConn’s minus-7 isn’t much better. The team that takes a step toward righting those lopsided numbers will win the game. The team that continues to offer free gifts to the opposition will lose it. It’s really that simple.